-----Original Message-----
From: Swartz, Diahn [SMTP:diahn.swartz@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2001 15:22
To: info@...
Subject: WTS July 12 seminar

Hi, Sensible Tucsonans...

Here is an event which you might be interested in attending to support
Light Rail and find out where the candidates stand...

(from TST member Diahn Swartz)

If you didn't already know, I thought you might be interested in the
Women's
Transportation Seminar July 12 program at El Parador featuring a panel of
ward candidates on transportation.

Nine ward candidates running in Wards 3, 5 and 6 will participate on the
panel.  The candidates have been given seven challenging transportation
questions from which two questions will be selected for each candidates's
response on the day of the program.  Candidates have been invited to
respond
to all seven questions in writing.  The program will be moderated by Steve
Nunez of KGUN 9 News.

The Board hasn't decided which of the seven questions will be posed to the
candidates, however, I can tell you that at least one of the seven asks
about light rail.  Also, we are hoping there will be time for audience
members to ask questions, too.

It begins at 11:15 a.m., with lunch served at 11:30.  The menu is Ensalada
Campesina (country slad with grilled breast of chicken), rolls, desert,
and
drink.  (Vegetarian option available.) Price is $15 for WTS members and
$18
for non-members.

RSVP by July 10 to Jean Ann Fisher by phone 791-4715 or email at
jfisher1@....

Thanks,

Diahn L. Swartz

Friends,

ADOT's Vision 21 task force has scheduled their Public Open Houses.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT for us to get as many people as possible to these and
to MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RAIL!

The task force recommends NOTHING BUT MORE ROADS for the next twenty
years.

Is this vision?  Or is it short-sightedness?

If we want light rail, commuter rail, regional rail, and intercity rail in
Arizona, the task force must hear us.

Here are the dates... meeting times 5 - 7pm, please reconfirm meetings
before you go:

    http://www.dot.state.az.us/Vision21/meetings01.html

Sierra Vista July 10
	 Sierra Vista Middle School,
	 Multipurpose Room
Tucson July 11
	 City of Tucson Public Library, Lower Level
Yuma July 12
	 City of Yuma Convention Center, East Wing
Chandler July 17
	 Chandler City Council Chambers
	 Library, Second Floor
Phoenix July 18
	 Burton Barr Central Library, 4th Floor
Peoria July 19
	 Peoria City Hall
	 Pine Room, 1st Floor
Kingman July 23
	 Mohave Community College, Student Center, Room 106
Flagstaff July 24
	 Flagstaff High School, Commons Area
Show Low July 25
	 Northland Pioneer College
	 White Mountain Campus
	 Ponderosa Center, Room 101
Prescott July 26
	 Yavapai County Administration Building, 1st Floor

Commuters: New Portland Area Commuter Rail Line Approved (June 9, 2001)

Oregon lawmakers on Thursday approved funding for a 15-mile commuter rail
line between the two suburban cities. The bill authorizes $20 million in
lottery-backed bonds to help cover the costs. Another $15 million would be
paid in 2003 if the project remains on track. This would be the Northwest's
first 'suburb to suburb' rail project.

Stops are planned for Wilsonville, Tualatin, Tigard and Beaverton. The line
would then hook up to the East-West MAX line. State money was essential in
getting federal help for the $85 million project, KOIN reports. Washington
County has pledged to pay $25 million.

A spokesman for the governor says that Gov. John Kitzhaber intends to sign
the legislation. The line would likely run on existing railroad tracks
(owned by Portland & Western Railroad) on weekday mornings and evenings
beginning in 2004.

Proponents expect about 4,650 commuters to ride the new line, lightening the
load on Highway 217 and Interstate 5.

-New York Times, Carl G. Perelman
_________________________________________________________________
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"Redondo Jct. tower was officially closed July 9"

Redondo Jct. tower was officially closed at 07:00, Jul09. Carpenters arrived
late Monday morning and began boarding up Redondo Tower in Los Angeles. The
interlocking machine remains inside--intact for now--and Alameda Corridor
officials are in discussions with OERM about moving the
tower off the property for preservation.

The Redondo flyover began revenue service with Pacific Surfliner trains
784 and 783, followed by Amtrak #4 Sunday evening. Monday morning the entire
Amtrak and Metrolink morning schedule operated over the span without a
hitch.

Metrolink officials were walking the track on the new flyover, preparing
final acceptance formalities. The track will be Metrolink's, with Amtrak a
regular user and BNSF freights expected there on occasion.

Contractors also began removing track and ties from the former BNSF
double-track mainline in front of the tower. It's expected all the steel
will be recycled into other track projects around the system. The diamonds
were lifted Friday night and were being readied for the dismantlers this
afternoon.

-David R. Busse, Allan Gilbert


_________________________________________________________________
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"Bush taps ADOT chief for roads"
Sergio Bustos and Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic July 12, 2001

Mary E. Peters, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, is
being tapped by President Bush to run the Federal Highway Administration,
the White House announced Wednesday. The nomination of Peters, who moved up
to the top ADOT post from the clerical ranks, heads to the U.S. Senate for
confirmation. She is the first Arizonan nominated for a prominent post in
the Bush administration, and the first woman nominated to run the federal
highway bureaucracy.

Gov. Jane Hull named Peters the ADOT director in 1998. She is in charge of
more than 4,800 employees and a $3 billion annual budget. Peters was the
first woman and first non-engineer to direct the agency, which is
responsible for more than 6,100 miles of roadway.

"The governor is delighted with her nomination," Francie Noyes, Hull's
spokeswoman, said Wednesday. "She has done a terrific job here in Arizona
and, if confirmed, she will do a great job for President Bush."
If she gets the nod from the Senate, Peters will oversee an agency with a
$30 billion annual budget that is charged with building and maintaining the
nation's highway system.

In Arizona, as both ADOT director and, before that, deputy director, Peters
helped accelerate work on the Valley freeway network. She hammered out a
plan with Valley mayors in 1998 that allowed them to use a crush of
unexpected federal money to complete the Valley freeway system by 2007,
which is seven years ahead of schedule.

Peters could not be reached for comment. ADOT Deputy Director Victor Mendez
is expected to temporarily fill the post if Peters is confirmed.
"It's a superb choice," said William Fay, president of the 45 million-member
American Highway Users Alliance. "She's highly regarded by her peers in the
state Department of Transportation. She's fair, she's bright, she knows the
vital importance of transportation. The nation is just a lot better off with
her in the driver's seat at the Federal Highway Administration."


_________________________________________________________________
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"Station Stops: Station grants"

The Great American Station Foundation is honoring 17 cities for
their efforts to preserve, restore, and improve their rail stations.
Honorees were selected to receive $250,000 in grant money, the national
non-profit corporation announced this week.

The winners were selected from 52 applications submitted by
communities in 24 states. Individual grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to
$30,000.

"These grants provide money to support local efforts to revitalize these
important public spaces and trigger additional economic development," said
Hank Dittmar of the Great American Station Foundation. "We're pleased at the
level of interest displayed in station revitalization
from around the country, and particularly happy that this year's grant
winners combine economic revitalization with the provision of convenient
transportation choices."

The 2001 honorees include Kingman, Ariz.; Fresno, Calif.;
Grand Junction, Colo.; Hollywood, Fla.; 79th Street Station in Miami, Fla.;
Centralia, Ill.; Matoon, Ill.; Normal, Ill; Lawrence, Kan.; Louisville, Ky.;
Natchitoches, La.; Edgewood, N.D.; Deming, N.M; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Wharton,
Texas; and Brookfield, Wis.

"Station revitalization can provide the spark that brings
downtown back to life," said John Robert Smith, chairman of the foundation's
board of directors and mayor of Meridian, Miss., which revitalized its
Amtrak station a few years ago. "Our station project in Meridian has sparked
over $18 million in investment in our downtown at the same time that it has
prompted a boom in Amtrak ridership."

For a detailed summary and photo of each winning project,
click on www.stationfoundation.org <http://www.stationfoundation.org/>.



_________________________________________________________________
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Chicago, Illinois, June 28 -- Responding to the growing threat of the
elimination of the passenger train in the United States, The
Association of Rail Travel in the US (RTUS) today announced official
incorporation as a not-for-profit organization operating in the United
States. Based in Illinois, the Association of Rail Travel in the US is
national rail advocacy organization aimed at promoting rail travel in
the United States.

The Association of Rail Travel in the US hopes to play a vital role in
the development of future passenger rail policy, using both its board
of directors and its members. In addition, RTUS will attempt to act as
a rail organization of the 21st century, using the Internet and other
modern technologies to help promote its message and goals. Some of
RTUS's goals include promoting rail travel in the United States with a
dedicated force of funding for Amtrak, the national rail passenger
system, helping other rail organizations develop an online presence,
and uniting all rail advocates with common goals.

"One of my largest goals in founding RTUS is to create a forum where
all rail advocates can feel welcome, regardless of their knowledge,
political affiliation, or what they feel the role of rail in the
United States should be," said President Harris Cohen. "As long as
someone is interested in having passenger rail play a role in the
United States, that person is welcome."

RTUS would also like to emphasize that it is interested in being a
supplement for existing rail organizations, not a replacement.
Therefore, membership will be offered at no charge, so that
organizations such as the National Association of Railroad Passengers
(NARP) and State ARP's will not lose membership. RTUS plans on
encouraging its members to join the National Association of Railroad
Passengers as well as their State ARP's, due to the large part that
both play in communicating with Amtrak, Congress, and their
effectiveness to lobby on behalf of the passenger train.

In the coming weeks, Rail Travel in the US plans on revamping its
website located at <A HREF="http://www.ustraintravel.com,">
http://www.ustraintravel.com,</A> allowing for easier
access to resources and membership information. For more information
on RTUS, call (847) 433-0731, or email RailTravelUS@....

About Rail Travel in the US Founded in 2001, The Association of Rail
Travel in the US (RTUS) is a not-for-profit organization based in
Chicago, IL. Its goals include the promotion of rail travel in the
United States with a dedicated source of funding for Amtrak, the
national rail passenger system, helping other rail organizations
develop an online presence, and uniting all rail advocates with common
goals. For more information, visit <A HREF="http://www.ustraintravel.com">
http://www.ustraintravel.com</A>.

About Membership Those interested in joining The Association of Rail
Travel in the US should send an email to: RailTravelUS@..., or
wait until additional information is posted on the website at
<A HREF="http://www.ustraintravel.com">http://www.ustraintravel.com</A>.

Yes,

The group is well known on the All_Aboard list..

Perhaps those who are interested in Amtrak in the SW may want to join
All_Aboard (Bill Lindley is a regular on A_A)

Howard Bingham, on the Sunset Route in SW Houston, Tx.
Moderator: All_Aboard
List owner: SunsetFriends

--
At 02:18 AM 7/14/01 EDT, you wrote:
>Chicago, Illinois, June 28 -- Responding to the growing threat of the
>elimination of the passenger train in the United States, The
>Association of Rail Travel in the US (RTUS) today announced official
>incorporation as a not-for-profit organization operating in the United
>States. Based in Illinois, the Association of Rail Travel in the US is
>national rail advocacy organization aimed at promoting rail travel in
>the United States.
>
>The Association of Rail Travel in the US hopes to play a vital role in
>the development of future passenger rail policy, using both its board
>of directors and its members. In addition, RTUS will attempt to act as
>a rail organization of the 21st century, using the Internet and other
>modern technologies to help promote its message and goals. Some of
>RTUS's goals include promoting rail travel in the United States with a
>dedicated force of funding for Amtrak, the national rail passenger
>system, helping other rail organizations develop an online presence,
>and uniting all rail advocates with common goals.
>
>"One of my largest goals in founding RTUS is to create a forum where
>all rail advocates can feel welcome, regardless of their knowledge,
--
[snip]
--

July 12, 2001
SALT RIVER PROJECT - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Permit Renewal Granted for Fence Lake Mine"

New Mexico's Mining and Minerals Division Approves 5-Year Extension to SRP
Phoenix-based Salt River Project has been granted a five-year renewal of its
application to mine low-sulfur coal at the proposed Fence Lake Mine, located
14 miles north of Quemado in western New Mexico. SRP's first five-year
permit expired July 12.

The state Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals
and Natural Resources Department issued its approval to SRP today following
a public process that included hearings in Grants on June 22 and Quemado on
June 23.

Bob Barnard, manager of the Fence Lake Project, said the next step in the
process for SRP will be approval of a Federal Mine Plan from the Department
of Interior. Delivery of the first coal at Fence Lake is scheduled for
January 2005. "We expect a favorable decision this summer from DOI," said
Barnard. "Once we have received a green light from both the state of New
Mexico and the federal government, we can begin the major portions of the
construction phase of the project."

Barnard said the Fence Lake Project will bring more than 200 new jobs to
western New Mexico, including more than 100 during the construction of the
mine and the 43-mile railroad line that will transport the coal to SRP's
Coronado Generating Station near St. Johns, Ariz.

Of those 200 jobs that will be created by the Fence Lake Mine, between 75
and 150 will remain for the duration of mining operations. Another 100 to
160 jobs will be tied directly to the construction of the mine and the
railroad, Barnard said.

In addition to the new skilled and unskilled jobs being created, most of
which will be filled by New Mexicans, Barnard said New Mexico will receive
approximately $60 million in taxes paid and another $60 million to $70
million in royalties from the new mine that will go directly to the New
Mexico Education Trust Fund.

Salt River Project plans to dig about 80 million tons of coal over the next
50 years at Fence Lake Mine, which covers 18,000 acres in a permit area that
covers both Catron and Cibola counties.

Most of that coal from Fence Lake will be mined to replace SRP's supply from
the McKinley Mine, located near Gallup. SRP's current contract with McKinley
Mine will be completed in 2006.

"The residents of New Mexico will be the real winners with the Fence Lake
Project," said Barnard. "Most of the power fueled by the low-sulfur coal at
Fence Lake will go to Arizona, but some of it will make it's way back to New
Mexico along the Western Grid."

Barnard said SRP is committed to meeting all state and federal permit
conditions, and that the mined area will be returned to its approximate
original contours and Zuni Salt Lake will not be adversely affected.
The Fence Lake Mine approval process started in 1988 when SRP first sought a
federal coal application from the Bureau of Land Management.

SRP's Coronado power plant provides enough electricity to serve about
190,000 of SRP's more than 750,000 electric customers in the Phoenix area

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

The weekly update from Bruce Richardson, URPA president.

====

We're now two and a half months into the summer foibles of Amtrak's
many misfortunes and adventures. Just when we thought we had seen it all,
then this week came rocking along.

1) This silliness could either be titled The Southwest Airlines Relief
Act of 2001, or, as seems more appropriate, the beginning of a new slogan
for Southwest: "Southwest, The Official Airline of Amtrak."

Those lovable managers at Amtrak Intercity have come up with yet another
riotous way to provide good customer service: A plan to put Amtrak
passengers on Southwest Airlines on a routine basis.

Imagine this scenario: You and your sweetie have paid over $1,000 to
travel in comfort and style on the Southwest Chief in a deluxe bedroom
between Los Angeles and Chicago, with connections on to Washington via
the Capitol Limited the same day in Chicago. You're thinking, well, this
train is the direct descendent of the fabled Super Chief of Santa Fe
fame, exulted in movies and literature as one of America's signature
trains from the glory years of rail travel. Certainly, Amtrak, after
being in business for 30 years now, can readily operate a modern train
along this route.

Well, no, actually. Amtrak, and it's most friendly host railroad, BNSF
have been delivering the Southwest Chief into Chicago routinely several
hours late, and missing the connection to the Capitol Limited. The
Capitol Limited, now that it does not share a common consist with the
Southwest Chief, waits for no one in Chicago. When it's time to go, it
goes.

So, Amtrak Intercity has come up with a great plan to make sure through
passengers make their connections at Chicago, whether they are riding on
a discount coach ticket or a full fare sleeping car ticket that entitles
them to meals and amenities.

At Kansas City, if the Southwest Chief is running late by a predetermined
amount of time, then Chicago through passengers are taken off of the
train, put into a prearranged van to the Kansas City airport, and flown
on Southwest to Chicago's Midway airport, where they are then put into
yet another van and trundled to Chicago Union Station and an awaiting
Capitol Limited.

A clever idea some say? Hardly. Good customer service? No. An easy way
out? Yes.

Here's the kicker: These paragons of good customer service are playing
DIRECTLY into the hands of critics and those who would end passenger rail
service by having written plans and standing orders to routinely fly
Amtrak passengers on scheduled airline service. This is an overt
admission that Amtrak is unable to fulfill its mandate to operate long
distance passenger service.

For those that wish to raise the issue of the Sunset's long running
tardiness, several things are different. The Sunset operated over a
railroad that was in such shambles, it was held together by bubble gum
and bailing wire under Southern Pacific. Then, when it was taken over the
Union Pacific, it ran late because of the endless need for track
upgrades. Then, there was the UP meltdown that came along with all of
this, which caused gridlock on the whole rail system. None of this is the
case on the BNSF line the Southwest Chief runs along. This, for the most
part, is the old Santa Fe main line, where running 90 MPH has not been
uncommon.

This plan has left Amtrak vulnerable to great debate and criticism from
its critics. Many more moves like this, and the company is likely to
disappear even quicker than most pessimists think it will.

2) Back in the Northeast, on the civilized and non-frontier side of the
Allegheny Mountains where the most important trains run North and South
between Washington and Boston, fares are being simplified.

The NEC brass is turning all conventional trains on the New York-Boston
run into Acela Regional trains. Hey, this is great! you say. Progress is
being made, more Acelas are running.

Not quite. It's still the same equipment as Northeast Direct trains, and
the schedules are similar. The exception is the name and price. All
trains with an Acela tag on them cost more to ride. Since the old
Northeast Direct trains are now gone, so is their lower fare structure.

Amtrak has figured out a way to have a fare increase without making a
formal announcement. Just eliminate all of the low fare trains, and force
everyone onto higher priced trains.

Many have openly grumbled about the high prices to ride the Acela Express
trains (when they are operating with working pantographs). Making this de
facto fare increase is likely to further endear Amtrak in the hearts and
minds of Northeast travelers.

Can anyone say "airplane?"

3) And, speaking of nonworking pantographs and Acela Express trains, it's
continued to be highly disturbing this week that even more pantograph
problems are occurring on Acela Express trains.

These continued mishaps are happening in slow speed territory where the
tried and true AEM-7s don't have any particular difficulty.

What's the problem? Do we have yet another case of Amtrak engineering
specifications trumping common sense and general industry wisdom? Do we
have yet another case of Amtrak telling us one thing, yet another reality
being the true situation?

Inquiring minds want to know. And, we all want to know when will we be
able to completely trust Amtrak statements to the press and public? What
problem is there with the Acela design on the pantographs they are not
telling us about?

4) This week's favorite Acela story comes courtesy of Amtrak commissary
services. Reports say that someone failed to load food on Acela Express
No. 2154 on July 9th, departing from Washington. It happens that Earle S.
Bagley, Jr. was among the esteemed guests on this train. This gentleman
is the President of the Northeast Corridor SBU, and one of the fathers of
Acela service.

Actual comments by the President were not recorded for posterity,
however, a note of his annoyance was made, and everyone on that train
rode free that day.

5) Finally, two reports were put on the All Aboard list this week
concerning the usefulness and friendliness of Amtrak's web site and
booking engine. Just a sample: "...jumbled design, "too many clicks"
usability ... slipshod reservations system". Well, you get the idea. It
seems that many professional computer web site critics think as much
about the Amtrak web site as passengers think about Amtrak on a 10 hour
late train.

Can't something be done about this? Automation is supposed to help save
the company.

That concludes another week of Amtrak here in the hot summer months. The
presumption is that Amtrak will continue into yet another week of fun.
We're just waiting to see how much fun it will be.

Bruce Richardson
Jacksonville, Florida

I guess when I mentioned a few months ago that airlines and passenger
railroads in the USA could cooperate on certain routes, the way certain
airlines and railroads have cooperated here in western Europe on certain
routes, this deal with Amtrak and SWA was not what I had in mind.
   Substituting SWA B737 airplanes in-place an intercity train service
between such points as St. Louis and Chicago is not too different a concept
from converting to diesel busses and automobile freeways instead of
electric street cars and trolleys in the neighborhoods of LA.  Back to the
future for Amtrak.

-----Original Message-----
From: William Lindley [SMTP:wlindley@...]
Sent: Dienstag, 17. Juli 2001 02:32
To: Southwest Rail List (E-mail)
Subject: [swrail] FW: Version X - This Was The Week That Was

The weekly update from Bruce Richardson, URPA president.

====

We're now two and a half months into the summer foibles of Amtrak's
many misfortunes and adventures. Just when we thought we had seen it all,
then this week came rocking along.

1) This silliness could either be titled The Southwest Airlines Relief
Act of 2001, or, as seems more appropriate, the beginning of a new slogan
for Southwest: "Southwest, The Official Airline of Amtrak."

Those lovable managers at Amtrak Intercity have come up with yet another
riotous way to provide good customer service: A plan to put Amtrak
passengers on Southwest Airlines on a routine basis.

Imagine this scenario: You and your sweetie have paid over $1,000 to
travel in comfort and style on the Southwest Chief in a deluxe bedroom
between Los Angeles and Chicago, with connections on to Washington via
the Capitol Limited the same day in Chicago. You're thinking, well, this
train is the direct descendent of the fabled Super Chief of Santa Fe
fame, exulted in movies and literature as one of America's signature
trains from the glory years of rail travel. Certainly, Amtrak, after
being in business for 30 years now, can readily operate a modern train
along this route.

Well, no, actually. Amtrak, and it's most friendly host railroad, BNSF
have been delivering the Southwest Chief into Chicago routinely several
hours late, and missing the connection to the Capitol Limited. The
Capitol Limited, now that it does not share a common consist with the
Southwest Chief, waits for no one in Chicago. When it's time to go, it
goes.

So, Amtrak Intercity has come up with a great plan to make sure through
passengers make their connections at Chicago, whether they are riding on
a discount coach ticket or a full fare sleeping car ticket that entitles
them to meals and amenities.

At Kansas City, if the Southwest Chief is running late by a predetermined
amount of time, then Chicago through passengers are taken off of the
train, put into a prearranged van to the Kansas City airport, and flown
on Southwest to Chicago's Midway airport, where they are then put into
yet another van and trundled to Chicago Union Station and an awaiting
Capitol Limited.

A clever idea some say? Hardly. Good customer service? No. An easy way
out? Yes.

Here's the kicker: These paragons of good customer service are playing
DIRECTLY into the hands of critics and those who would end passenger rail
service by having written plans and standing orders to routinely fly
Amtrak passengers on scheduled airline service. This is an overt
admission that Amtrak is unable to fulfill its mandate to operate long
distance passenger service.

For those that wish to raise the issue of the Sunset's long running
tardiness, several things are different. The Sunset operated over a
railroad that was in such shambles, it was held together by bubble gum
and bailing wire under Southern Pacific. Then, when it was taken over the
Union Pacific, it ran late because of the endless need for track
upgrades. Then, there was the UP meltdown that came along with all of
this, which caused gridlock on the whole rail system. None of this is the
case on the BNSF line the Southwest Chief runs along. This, for the most
part, is the old Santa Fe main line, where running 90 MPH has not been
uncommon.

This plan has left Amtrak vulnerable to great debate and criticism from
its critics. Many more moves like this, and the company is likely to
disappear even quicker than most pessimists think it will.

2) Back in the Northeast, on the civilized and non-frontier side of the
Allegheny Mountains where the most important trains run North and South
between Washington and Boston, fares are being simplified.

The NEC brass is turning all conventional trains on the New York-Boston
run into Acela Regional trains. Hey, this is great! you say. Progress is
being made, more Acelas are running.

Not quite. It's still the same equipment as Northeast Direct trains, and
the schedules are similar. The exception is the name and price. All
trains with an Acela tag on them cost more to ride. Since the old
Northeast Direct trains are now gone, so is their lower fare structure.

Amtrak has figured out a way to have a fare increase without making a
formal announcement. Just eliminate all of the low fare trains, and force
everyone onto higher priced trains.

Many have openly grumbled about the high prices to ride the Acela Express
trains (when they are operating with working pantographs). Making this de
facto fare increase is likely to further endear Amtrak in the hearts and
minds of Northeast travelers.

Can anyone say "airplane?"

3) And, speaking of nonworking pantographs and Acela Express trains, it's
continued to be highly disturbing this week that even more pantograph
problems are occurring on Acela Express trains.

These continued mishaps are happening in slow speed territory where the
tried and true AEM-7s don't have any particular difficulty.

What's the problem? Do we have yet another case of Amtrak engineering
specifications trumping common sense and general industry wisdom? Do we
have yet another case of Amtrak telling us one thing, yet another reality
being the true situation?

Inquiring minds want to know. And, we all want to know when will we be
able to completely trust Amtrak statements to the press and public? What
problem is there with the Acela design on the pantographs they are not
telling us about?

4) This week's favorite Acela story comes courtesy of Amtrak commissary
services. Reports say that someone failed to load food on Acela Express
No. 2154 on July 9th, departing from Washington. It happens that Earle S.
Bagley, Jr. was among the esteemed guests on this train. This gentleman
is the President of the Northeast Corridor SBU, and one of the fathers of
Acela service.

Actual comments by the President were not recorded for posterity,
however, a note of his annoyance was made, and everyone on that train
rode free that day.

5) Finally, two reports were put on the All Aboard list this week
concerning the usefulness and friendliness of Amtrak's web site and
booking engine. Just a sample: "...jumbled design, "too many clicks"
usability ... slipshod reservations system". Well, you get the idea. It
seems that many professional computer web site critics think as much
about the Amtrak web site as passengers think about Amtrak on a 10 hour
late train.

Can't something be done about this? Automation is supposed to help save
the company.

That concludes another week of Amtrak here in the hot summer months. The
presumption is that Amtrak will continue into yet another week of fun.
We're just waiting to see how much fun it will be.

Bruce Richardson
Jacksonville, Florida




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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 06:18:34 -0500
From: Ray Dunbar <rdunbar@...>
To: all_aboard@yahoogroups.com

AA:

Veteran Sunset Limited advocated, Howard Bingham of Houston is trying
his best to set up a Sunset Limited Marketing group. He needs the strong
support of advocates along the Sunset route. If anyone knows of
advocates on the Sunset Limited route who will " work " to save the
service, and even expand it, please contact Howard Bingham at >
<howardb@...> . Howard is a co- moderator of AA and a dedicated
supporter of the Sunset Limited.

From a fellow Texan, best wishes Howard on your effort.

Ray Dunbar
Along the route of the Texas Eagle

Pacific Wilderness Railway shuts down in Victoria, British Columbia

Ross Rowland announced yesterday that the Pacific Wilderness Railway, which
operated tourist trains between VIA Rail Canada's station in downtown
Victoria, British Columbia, and Milepost 20 of RailAmerica's ex-Esquimalt &
Nanaimo Victoria Sub, would shut down with the arrival of the afternoon run.

The reasons given for the shutdown were low ridership, increasing expenses,
and parent Ohio Central Railway's desire to no longer invest in what it
termed a losing operation. The railway began operations in June of 2000.

"Victoria, July 19th - Pacific Wilderness Railway announced it has ended
service effective immediately due to low ridership. The tourist railway
began its second season on June 1st and was scheduled to operate daily until
September 30th.

Ross Rowland, Pacific Wilderness President said, "We deeply regret having to
close down our operations and wish to take this opportunity to thank the
many friends we made in the community for their support and assistance.
Unfortunately the ridership was just not there to support continuing".

Rowland further stated that all customers who have pre-paid reservations
will be receiving full refunds in the mail."

-John Godfrey (July 20, 2001)



_________________________________________________________________
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 18:51:02 -0400
From: brucerichardson@...
Subject: [A_A] Version XI - This Was That Week That Was

Week Eleven of Amtrak's summer is going along about the same. Amtrak was
the subject of much media attention this week, much of it which was
unflattering.

1) First, last Friday's memo. Amtrak President and CEO George Warrington
distributed a company wide memo last Friday, urging employees to plan
ahead for next year, make do with less, and be ready for some changes in
the company.

Following this on Tuesday was a story by Washington Post Reporter Don
Phillips going in great detail and many of Amtrak's plans for the future,
many of which would have a negative impact on passengers and passenger
rail advocates, as well as employees.

Then, immediately following the Washington Post story, Mr. Warrington
issued a second employee memo saying much of what was said in the first
memo and in the Washington Post story was just speculation, and no hard
decisions had been made.

Is this a case of Clinton-type testing of the waters to see a reaction?
Leak information out, gauge a reaction, and then make a final decision
what to do based on the reaction? It's possible. But, it's also possible
that, when contained in the story were hints of 10 to 15% cuts in union
personnel, that a firestorm was started by organized labor and Amtrak had
to pull in its horns quickly?

2) As part of that media coverage of Amtrak this week, your humble
correspondent noticed a paragraph in an Associated Press story quoting Tom
Till, head of the Amtrak Reform Council staff, saying that Amtrak had
hired 900 new management employees in the last three to four years. Your
humble correspondent took this information and put it into a strongly
worded opinion piece that was posted publicly on the All-Aboard list.

Amtrak guardian and perennial watchdog Ross Capon, always ready to come to
the defense of Amtrak, forwarded the same missive to Amtrak Corporate
Communications spin meister William Schulz, who diligently responded to
what he perceived as wrong information, and set out to set the record
straight.

Mr. Schulz said, "Ross Capon forwarded your e-mail to me. Larry Arnold had
quoted Tom Till that management employees had grown 900 in 3-4 years. Tom
was wrong. After a couple of days of checking, I've learned that Amtrak
had 2,838 management employees in Jan. '97 and 2,887 management employees
as of Jan '01. The net gain was 49, not 900. I hope this clears this up.
Thanks."

Whew! Our thanks to Mr. Schulz for clearing that up in a quick and
accurate manner. Good, solid information directly from Amtrak is always
welcome by all.

Now, if we could just depend on this type of good information when it
comes to Acela ...

3) This week also saw yet more Acela trains delayed due to pantograph
problems. What's the story here? What is it no one is telling the public?
After 60,000 miles of mandated testing by the FRA, this equipment still
can't perform up to workaday standards? Is the design fatally flawed? Many
inquiring minds are wondering. Amtrak still isn't talking much about the
problem.

4) Of the several things covered in the Washington Post article of
Tuesday, one that stands out is Amtrak's proposed hiring of McKinsey & Co.
to come into Amtrak, help restructure the company, and save the soul of
Acela and Amtrak.

On the surface, this appears as yet another attempt to keep alive the
current senior management regime and board of directors. It is also an
overt admission that Amtrak's current business plan is a failure, and that
Acela profits will not save the company. As many said several years ago,
Amtrak was betting the whole farm on one racehorse.

The racehorse is lame. Will the farm be gone, soon?

There is a luminous heritage along the lines of what Amtrak is doing. Many
prestigious companies have brought in consultants to help fix problems,
including Pan Am, Braniff, Eastern Air Lines, and others. The common
thread you may notice here is that all of these companies, in their
original incarnations, are gone.

The cost of McKinsey & Co. is another point of debate among many. Amtrak
has just pawned its most visible station, New York Penn, for $300 million
so it can make 90 days worth of payroll and a few other expenses. It will
take 17 years and $600 million to pay this mortgage back, so Amtrak could
limp through the Summer of '01.

Simultaneously, Amtrak has brought in McKinsey & Co., and it is estimated
McKinsey & Co. could garner as much as $10 million as a consulting fee
from this contract. Remember all of those Sunday School lessons about good
stewardship, and all of those college business class lessons about
accountability to your shareholders and owners?

We wish someone at Amtrak would remember them, too.

Amtrak can't afford to have more than one coach attendant in the height of
the summer season for four coaches, and can't afford to fully stock
restrooms with toilet paper and paper towels on every run, but it can
afford to pay outside consultants to fix what current management has
broken?

Perhaps, instead of bringing in consultants to fix the company under
current management, the best thing to do would be to get new management?

5) Now, the most unpleasant subject. A report came from the Providence
(Rhode Island) Journal this week about a stalled Amfleet Acela Regional
train at Cranston, Rhode Island last Sunday night. The locomotive failed
for an unknown reason, and the consist stopped dead in the right of way.

Weary and wary travelers refused to stay on the train because of rising
temperatures here in the summertime, and started punching out emergency
escape windows and opening trap doors to jump down to the right of way.

Disembarked passengers were actually strolling up and down the NEC right
of way, and crossing other live tracks to get to local businesses along
the tracks.

Keeping this in mind, here's the most unpleasant question: The cause of
this breakdown was most likely due to either deliberate decisions to
subject this locomotive to deferred maintenance, or the locomotive was
unroadworthy and never should have been sent out of the roundhouse in the
first place. Because of this, with passengers disembarking from the train
and wandering around on live tracks, when is this going to result in the
death of a passenger?

What unsuspecting NEC engineer is going to be racing down the tracks and
not know he or she is about to plow into a group of disgruntled passengers
trying to escape from a stalled train?

When is the law of averages going to catch up with Amtrak's unforgivable
decisions to often allow poor equipment maintenance which could result in
innocent deaths?

Railroad advocates love to debate about every topic regarding passenger
rail, from the color of seat cushions to how large track side signals
should be. Now is the time to forget such silliness and concentrate on
making changes at Amtrak before a human life is lost.

What cost are we willing to pay to keep Amtrak just as it is right now?

And, that's another week of Amtrak. Here's to happier times ahead.

Bruce Richardson
Jacksonville, Florida

Hello.  Anyone listening?  Yahoo groups has disappeared totally for me since
Thursday night.  Is anyone out there?    Russ Jackson, Rail Passenger Assn of
California

a lone hello from tucson az

rob lindley

--- Editrail@... wrote:
> Hello.  Anyone listening?  Yahoo groups has
> disappeared totally for me since
> Thursday night.  Is anyone out there?    Russ
> Jackson, Rail Passenger Assn of
> California
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> swrail-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>


=====
Rob Lindley
Tucson AZ
US Army - Retired
Still Serving

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger
http://phonecard.yahoo.com/

For those who are unaware, it should b known that AOL filters & sometimes
delay's bulk e-mailings from Yahoo Groups..

An e-mail list for Yahoo Groups owners and moderators has been discussing
this for some time..

Any AOL subscriber having message delivery problems first should check the
[swrail] Yahoo Group site at: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/swrail/>, if
you have a Yahoo ID & password, it is quite easy to view the full list of
current messages posted to the list to compare with what you are receiving..

If AOL or Hotmail subscribers have any problem in timely delivery of
[swrail] Yahoo Group messages, it may be advisable to get a secondary e-mail
(Or web mail) address to read your list messages..

Howard Bingham, on the Sunset Route in Houston, Tx.

--
At 03:04 PM 7/22/01 -0700, you wrote:
>a lone hello from tucson az
>
>rob lindley
>
>--- Editrail@... wrote:
>> Hello.  Anyone listening?  Yahoo groups has
>> disappeared totally for me since
>> Thursday night.  Is anyone out there?    Russ
>> Jackson, Rail Passenger Assn of
>> California
>>
>> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>> swrail-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>>
>>
>>
>> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>>
>>
>
>
>=====
>Rob Lindley
>Tucson AZ
>US Army - Retired
>Still Serving
>
--

Perhaps the war is winding down between these two monsters.  I have received
a few messages from A_A and other groups this morning.  Some go back to last
night, but the most recent was at 7:30 AM PST, so hostilities may have
resumed.  I'll wait them out.   Thanks for all your acknowledgements of my
test messages yesterday.  Isn't it interesting that those test messages sent
through yahoogroups to the A_A list and other groups went through without a
problem and in a timely manor.

A message complaining about the problem was sent to Yahoo yesterday and
resulted in an automated reply "we're working on it," etc.   Gene may be
right about the fibre optic cable in Baltimore.
    Russ

From: brucerichardson@...
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 15:53

Week Eleven of Amtrak's summer is going along about the same. Amtrak was
the subject of much media attention this week, much of it which was
unflattering.

1) First, last Friday's memo. Amtrak President and CEO George Warrington
distributed a company wide memo last Friday, urging employees to plan
ahead for next year, make do with less, and be ready for some changes in
the company.

Following this on Tuesday was a story by Washington Post Reporter Don
Phillips going in great detail and many of Amtrak's plans for the future,
many of which would have a negative impact on passengers and passenger
rail advocates, as well as employees.

Then, immediately following the Washington Post story, Mr. Warrington
issued a second employee memo saying much of what was said in the first
memo and in the Washington Post story was just speculation, and no hard
decisions had been made.

Is this a case of Clinton-type testing of the waters to see a reaction?
Leak information out, gauge a reaction, and then make a final decision
what to do based on the reaction? It's possible. But, it's also possible
that, when contained in the story were hints of 10 to 15% cuts in union
personnel, that a firestorm was started by organized labor and Amtrak had
to pull in its horns quickly?

2) As part of that media coverage of Amtrak this week, your humble
correspondent noticed a paragraph in an Associated Press story quoting
Tom Till, head of the Amtrak Reform Council staff, saying that Amtrak had
hired 900 new management employees in the last three to four years. Your
humble correspondent took this information and put it into a strongly
worded opinion piece that was posted publicly on the All-Aboard list.

Amtrak guardian and perennial watchdog Ross Capon, always ready to come
to the defense of Amtrak, forwarded the same missive to Amtrak Corporate
Communications spin meister William Schulz, who diligently responded to
what he perceived as wrong information, and set out to set the record
straight.

Mr. Schulz said, "Ross Capon forwarded your e-mail to me. Larry Arnold
had quoted Tom Till that management employees had grown 900 in 3-4 years.
Tom was wrong. After a couple of days of checking, I've learned that
Amtrak had 2,838 management
employees in Jan. '97 and 2,887 management employees as of Jan '01. The
net
gain was 49, not 900. I hope this clears this up. Thanks."

Whew! Our thanks to Mr. Schulz for clearing that up in a quick and
accurate manner. Good, solid information directly from Amtrak is always
welcome by all.

Now, if we could just depend on this type of good information when it
comes to Acela ...

3) This week also saw yet more Acela trains delayed due to pantograph
problems. What's the story here? What is it no one is telling the public?
After 60,000 miles of mandated testing by the FRA, this equipment still
can't perform up to workaday standards? Is the design fatally flawed?
Many inquiring minds are wondering. Amtrak still isn't talking much about
the problem.

4) Of the several things covered in the Washington Post article of
Tuesday, one that stands out is Amtrak's proposed hiring of McKinsey &
Co. to come into Amtrak, help restructure the company, and save the soul
of Acela and Amtrak.

On the surface, this appears as yet another attempt to keep alive the
current senior management regime and board of directors. It is also an
overt admission that Amtrak's current business plan is a failure, and
that Acela profits will not save the company. As many said several years
ago, Amtrak was betting the whole farm on one racehorse.

The racehorse is lame. Will the farm be gone, soon?

There is a luminous heritage along the lines of what Amtrak is doing.
Many prestigious companies have brought in consultants to help fix
problems, including Pan Am, Braniff, Eastern Air Lines, and others. The
common thread you may notice here is that all of these companies, in
their original incarnations, are gone.

The cost of McKinsey & Co. is another point of debate among many. Amtrak
has just pawned its most visible station, New York Penn, for $300 million
so it can make 90 days worth of payroll and a few other expenses. It will
take 17 years and $600 million to pay this mortgage back, so Amtrak could
limp through the Summer of '01.

Simultaneously, Amtrak has brought in McKinsey & Co., and it is estimated
McKinsey & Co. could garner as much as $10 million as a consulting fee
from this contract. Remember all of those Sunday School lessons about
good stewardship, and all of those college business class lessons about
accountability to your shareholders and owners?

We wish someone at Amtrak would remember them, too.

Amtrak can't afford to have more than one coach attendant in the height
of the summer season for four coaches, and can't afford to fully stock
restrooms with toilet paper and paper towels on every run, but it can
afford to pay outside consultants to fix what current management has
broken?

Perhaps, instead of bringing in consultants to fix the company under
current management, the best thing to do would be to get new management?

5) Now, the most unpleasant subject. A report came from the Providence
(Rhode Island) Journal this week about a stalled Amfleet Acela Regional
train at Cranston, Rhode Island last Sunday night. The locomotive failed
for an unknown reason, and the consist stopped dead in the right of way.

Weary and wary travelers refused to stay on the train because of rising
temperatures here in the summertime, and started punching out emergency
escape windows and opening trap doors to jump down to the right of way.

Disembarked passengers were actually strolling up and down the NEC right
of way, and crossing other live tracks to get to local businesses along
the tracks.

Keeping this in mind, here's the most unpleasant question: The cause of
this breakdown was most likely due to either deliberate decisions to
subject this locomotive to deferred maintenance, or the locomotive was
unroadworthy and never should have been sent out of the roundhouse in the
first place. Because of this, with passengers disembarking from the train
and wandering around on live tracks, when is this going to result in the
death of a passenger?

What unsuspecting NEC engineer is going to be racing down the tracks and
not know he or she is about to plow into a group of disgruntled
passengers trying to escape from a stalled train?

When is the law of averages going to catch up with Amtrak's unforgivable
decisions to often allow poor equipment maintenance which could result in
innocent deaths?

Railroad advocates love to debate about every topic regarding passenger
rail, from the color of seat cushions to how large track side signals
should be. Now is the time to forget such silliness and concentrate on
making changes at Amtrak before a human life is lost.

What cost are we willing to pay to keep Amtrak just as it is right now?

And, that's another week of Amtrak. Here's to happier times ahead.

Bruce Richardson
Jacksonville, Florida

"BNSF To Close 71 Rural Arizona Grade Crossings"

Years, sometimes decades, are required to close a highway rail grade
crossing, and while costs vary, generally it takes thousands of dollars to
completely remove a crossing and re-establish terrain around the tracks.

That's why what the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Arizona Division is
accomplishing on its Coronado and Springerville subdivisions borders on
phenomenal.

Of 140 crossings on the subdivisions' combined 70-mile, 49-mph tracks, an
agreement has been reached to remove 71 crossings -- a process that took
less than two years and has so far cost BNSF nothing, other than a lot of
time and effort by Arizona Division people. To date, about 40 crossings have
been removed, with the remainder to be eliminated within a year.

"There were a lot of crossing redundancies on these subdivisions, which are
in rural areas," says David Agee, BNSF regional manager of Grade Crossing
Safety in Phoenix. Most of the crossings are private.

In 1999, BNSF initiated talks with the major property owners, Tucson
Electric Power Co., the Salt River Project Co., and the Navajo Nation. By
raising their awareness of liability issues associated with crossing
incidents. A BNSF team convinced the owners of the need to close more than
half of the crossings.

"Engineering out the opportunity for a vehicle-train incident is the best
way for BNSF to eliminate highway rail grade crossing incidents," says Agee.
The utilities weren't hard to convince and they took the lead on meeting
with local ranchers and farmers who used the crossings. They also agreed to
cover all the costs associated with the closings.

-Gary Stilts


_________________________________________________________________
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"What is Amtrak: to be or not to be?"
Railway Age - July 2001

It's time for lawmakers to decide. Don't they know Amtrak is pawning its
crown jewel-Manhattan's Penn Station-just to pay its running bills?
By Frank N. Wilner, Contributing Editor - Railway Age.

John Kenefick was CEO of Union Pacific, Dick Hasselman was Conrail's chief
operating officer, and George Way was vice president-research for the
Association of American Railroads. All are professional engineers who, in
retirement, correspond via e-mail. A recent exchange discussed a public
policy issue in terms of economic reality rather than politics. Engineers,
of course, are trained on slide-rules and their solutions are carried out to
multiple decimal places.

Politicians, by contrast, are less precise. Frequently in Congress, 2 + 2 =
5. And since Amtrak is a creature of Congress, it makes perfectly good sense
on Capitol Hill to spend billions of tax dollars annually on aviation,
trucking, and barge operations, but demand self-sufficiency for Amtrak.

Professional engineers and economists can't understand that. But for 30
years, Congress has allowed Amtrak to limp along as a poor and underfed
transportation cousin, while other modes dined comfortably at the public
trough.

Amtrak's current President George Warrington says, "no more scraps." In a
National Press Club speech carried nationwide on public radio and
television's C-Span, Warrington said the rudder and compass Congress
provided Amtrak are as flawed as glass-bottomed boats and it's time for
lawmakers to decide what Amtrak is to be or not to be. Amtrak cannot
continue chasing dual objectives of operating a national passenger network
for the benefit of communities while simultaneously having to act more like
a business and turn a profit, said Warrington.

Even assuming that a Congress consumed with who controls the Senate, Mideast
peace, electricity shortages, and the economy could find time to debate what
Amtrak should or should not be, the review would be conducted by the same
politicians who created the Amtrak mess. The railroad has collected almost
$25 billion in public subsidies since its 1971 inception and last month had
to pawn its crown jewel, Manhattan's Penn Station, simply to pay wages and
buy fuel.

Knocking on the pawnshop door belies Amtrak's promise that it will reach
financial self sufficiency in fewer than 20 months. The Amtrak business plan
is balderdash, say Department of Transportation Inspector General Ken Mead
and the U.S. General Accounting Office. Transportation Secretary Norman
Mineta, referring to Amtrak's "tin cup," agrees, suggesting the railroad
might have to shut down its long-distance routes and instead concentrate on
high-density corridors on the East and West Coasts and a few in the
interior.

But in 1995, when Amtrak sought to save money cutting long-distance trains,
its revenue tumbled more quickly than costs. This leads Amtrak gadfly Andy
Selden, a Minneapolis attorney who claims he was a finalist for Warrington's
job, to claim it is the long-distance trains that make money and the
Northeast Corridor operations that are the big money losers. If only Amtrak
would tighten its accounting system, such would be clear, said Selden. He
also proposes Amtrak boost what it pays freight railroads for access in
order to improve priority handling, which in turn could permit an expansion
of service offerings, more passengers, and greater profits.

Meanwhile, at the 11-member Amtrak Reform Council, a shadow board of
directors appointed by Congress for their political connections, the Amtrak
solution being discussed is to separate ownership and control of the
Northeast Corridor from train operations and let private-sector entities bid
on running trains.

Who is one to believe? Amtrak officers with a vested interest? Politicians
with a shallow interest? Or self-styled Amtrak experts? The reality seen by
professional engineers and economists is that in 2000, Amtrak's $3 billion
in expenses exceeded revenue by almost $1 billion. And while Amtrak points
to 150-mph Acela Express trains as the light at the end of the financial
tunnel-already a year behind schedule owing to technical glitches-the
incremental revenue is still projected at only $180 million annually.

Much of the additional Acela Express revenue will come from airline
passengers who choose the train, says Amtrak. Selden, citing confidential
data leaked to him by Amtrak employees, says most of the demand for
Northeast Corridor service is between points where there is no direct air
service. As for Acela Express, Selden says the majority of travelers willing
to pay its prices-equivalent to air fare- travel to and from the Wall Street
area of Manhattan rather than Midtown where Penn Station is located.

To keep those Acela Express trains operating, billions of dollars in
deferred maintenance on the Northeast Corridor must be remedied. That
deferred maintenance contributed to 46,000 minutes of delay on the Northeast
Corridor last year, a 21% increase since 1998. Indeed, while Congress is
debating whether to provide Amtrak with $521 million for fiscal 2002-the eve
of its promise to achieve operating self-sufficiency-Amtrak is saying its
annual capital needs will remain a federal burden and are almost three times
what Congress is subsidizing Amtrak with today.

Separately, Amtrak wants authority from Congress to sell $12 billion in
revenue bonds for high speed corridor projects the General Accounting Office
says will not turn a profit. Even Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), one of
Amtrak's strongest congressional supporters, says Osprey aircraft, which
take off and land like helicopters and then fly like fixed-wing propeller
craft, may be a more efficient method of moving travelers in short-haul
markets. And should Amtrak receive authority to sell $12 billion in revenue
bonds, it has not explained how it intends to repay the principal (buyers
will receive tax breaks in lieu of interest).

Amtrak debt already exceeds $3 billion, or about one-third of assets. This
debt has increased by more than $1 billion since 1999, and Amtrak's annual
interest expense on this debt now exceeds $190 million annually and will
remain at least at that level until 2005, says Ken Mead. The Penn Station
loan is costing Amtrak almost $30 million annually in interest.

Warrington took a bold step in his press club speech, but he may have to be
more adventurous and publicly declare impending bankruptcy. The history of
Congress and railroads is that lawmakers act only to avert a national
crisis. Let Congress make a simple and stark choice between providing Amtrak
with a consistent and dedicated source of funding-as it does for aviation,
highways and waterways-or shutting the carrier down. If lawmakers can't
grasp, as do professional engineers and economists, the reality and
relationship of Amtrak's current numbers, then let them listen to the voters
as to whether they want Amtrak to survive long-term. The odds are
overwhelming Congress will choose life for Amtrak.


_________________________________________________________________
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Denver keen for non-stop flights to Paris


DENVER, July 25 (Reuters) - Officials from Denver Wednesday offered Air
France up to $1 million in marketing incentives to persuade the French
carrier to offer non-stop flights between Denver and Paris.

"We believe that this $1 million marketing incentive will help any airline to
create the important initial 'buzz' necessary to make a start-up route
between Denver and Paris successful," Denver Mayor Wellington Webb said.

Airport officials from Denver were in Paris Wednesday, meeting with officials
from Air France, but the city said the offer was good for any airline.

Denver International Airport, which opened in 1995 provided $1 million in
marketing incentives to Lufthansa AG's <LHAG.F> Lufthansa Airlines, the
German carrier, when it first began offering non-stop service between Denver
and Frankfurt earlier this year.

UAL Corp.'s <<A HREF="aol://4785:UAL">UAL.N</A>> United Airlines also offers
non-stop service between Denver and Frankfurt in the summer.

"With the success of the new Denver-Frankfurt non-stops being offered by
Lufthansa and United and the non-stop between Denver and London being offered
by British Airways, we believe that a Denver-Paris non-stop is the next
logical route in providing new and efficient European destination
opportunities," the mayor said.

Airport officials said they have also discussed potential non-stop service
between Denver and France with United Airlines and will continue to meet with
other carriers.

United spokesman Joe Hopkins said the Chicago-based airline, "applauds the
city's efforts to attract more international service" but it has no plans at
this time to offer non-stop Denver/Paris service. United is Denver's largest
carrier.

Aviation consultant Michael Boyd, of the Boyd Group, said Denver's higher
landing costs mean the city must offer marketing incentives to lure airlines.

Last night I watched CSPAN about the 10 billion dollar bond issue Amtrak
is wanting to initiate. The most interesting portion to me was the
insight Mr. Carmichel (I hope I have spelled his name correctly) had
about the long distance train delays, and what needs to be done to fix
the problem.
His comments went something like this: The biggest problem we have in
the long distance trains are that in the 1980's the freight railroads
took up the double track and now we are left with the single track to
run Amtrak over, with the increase in container freight traffic. The
answer is to do a state/government bond partnership with the freight
railroads, to redouble track the routes we use.

Well, maybe the thought is correct, but, the devil's advocate in me
tells me in itself, that is not enough. If the magic wan came out and
all routes were double tracked at the tax payers expense, the freight's
would still screw Amtrak to death on the dispatching end. I still
advocate, "Nationalize the right of ways along with the dispatching
service, let the spenders have the control."

Pete Glass

Channel 8 : "Horizon" - KAET Phoenix - 7:00pm

Tune in tonight July 26th at 7 p.m. on Channel 8 for Horizon as they feature
a Phoenix-East Valley light rail project update.
A debate between Ed Zuercher and Joe Ryan (a rail critic and Sun City
resident(!?) will also be broadcast.  Project Director Wulf Grote was also
interviewed for the show.

Horizon will also show a segment on regional transportation issues featuring
Tom Buick, Maricopa County Public Works/MCDOT Director, Lisa Atkins of the
Governor's Vision 21 Task Force and Jim Bourey, Executive Director of the
Maricopa Association of Governments.


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Anything that can be done to improve truck safety, then it should be done.
  Notice here one of the senators who is fighting the effort to improve
trucking safety regulations.  I really used think McCain was one of the
good guys, now I am beginning to wonder.

David Beale - former Chandler, AZ resident
please note new home address (moved out of Hannover -  to the suburbs)
Am Loh 10
31559 Haste
Germany
  - on DB's mainline from Hannover to Minden, Bielefeld, Herford, Hamm,
Essen and other points west.

Senate Votes to End Truck Bill Delay
The Associated Press
Jul 26 2001 3:00PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate ignored a Bush administration veto threat
Thursday and voted to end Republican delaying tactics that have held up
proposed safety standards for Mexican trucks entering the United States.
The 70-30 vote came despite efforts by GOP leaders and White House
officials to keep alive a filibuster that was aimed at forcing a weakening
of the regulations, which President Bush considers too restrictive.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Phil Gramm, R-Texas, who have led the
effort to weaken the safety provisions, have promised additional procedural
delays. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said he hoped to
complete the bill by week's end, but it was unclear how long that would
take.
Even so, Thursday's vote made it clear that it was probably just a matter
of time until the Senate approves requirements for tighter inspections and
audits of Mexican trucks, drivers and trucking companies.
Bush and his GOP allies had said those requirements would be so expensive
and time-consuming to meet that the administration would miss its goal of
allowing Mexican trucks to drive throughout the United States on Jan. 1.
They also said the standards were a violation of the 8-year-old North
American Free Trade Agreement because they imposed tougher requirements on
Mexico than exist for Canadian trucks.
``It is wrong for the Congress to discriminate against Mexican trucks,''
Bush said at the White House shortly before the vote. ``And I urge the
Senate to reject an amendment to the transportation bill that would clearly
discriminate against Mexican truckers.''
But Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chief
author of the tougher requirements, said their proposal did not violate
NAFTA and was aimed at improving traffic safety.
A vote against their plan, Murray said, was a vote ``to expose Americans to
new danger on our highways.''
Bush has made free trade and better relations with Mexico major goals. But
in Thursday's vote, those priorities succumbed to safety concerns and the
clout of the Teamsters union.
There were also worries - voiced privately by some senators - that highway
projects for their states that were included in the legislation might be
jeopardized if they voted to weaken the safety requirements.
Murray and Shelby are the senior members of the Senate Appropriations
transportation subcommittee, giving them a major say in which home-state
projects survive in the bill's final version.
GOP leaders even made a bid to win the votes of farm-state Democratic
senators. They circulated a letter citing comments by a Mexican official
that if the access of Mexican trucks to the United States was hindered,
that country might retaliate by restricting U.S. imports of high-fructose
corn syrup.
The roll call was also a feather in the cap of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.,
who managed to prevail in his first effort as majority leader to halt a
Republican filibuster.

http://www.kgw.com/print-ready/story.html?StoryID=23581

Streetcar Popularity Leads to Minor Glitches in New System
July 23, 2001, 12:30 PM
By Mahealani Richardson and Teresa Bell, KGW Staff

The more than 50,000 people who rode Portland’s new streetcar over the
weekend got to experience the benefits of the new system first hand as well
as some minor glitches.

City transportation officials said the excessive ridership led to a couple of
problems. The round trip from the Portland State University campus to
Northwest 23rd took as long as an extra half hour to complete because of the
large number of people loading and unloading.

The streetcars are designed to hold 150 people but at times, users exceeded
capacity, weighing the cars down so far that the wheelchair ramps would not
completely extend.

“We had to unload a few passengers just to lighten the load and bring the
bridge plate in, jiggle it a little bit, kinda like your TV antenna -- just
jiggle it a little bit and it'll go back in,” explained City Transportation
Spokeswoman Mary Volm.

A technical problem also popped up involving the doors of the parking barn.
The software that runs the doors malfunctioned, so drivers couldn’t get the
streetcars out of the barn until noon Saturday.

Even with that delay, Saturday was the busiest day of all, with 21,000
riders.

While people rode the streetcars for free over the weekend, the regular fares
kicked in Monday. Now, people will have to pay $1.20 to ride the streetcars
as well as the MAX train. The only area where riding remains free is inside
Fareless Square in downtown Portland.

As soon as the novelty wears out, the city predicts that about 5,000 people
will ride the streetcars each day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thunder Mountain Line"
A new passenger railroad IS operating on former Union Pacific trackage
between Meridian and Cascade, Idaho... (looks like it had an official
startup last summer.)

The train traverses the Idaho, Northern & Pacific's freight line, parallel
to the Payette River on its way to the farming hamlet of Emmett and the
mountain town of Cascade. The scenery is breathtaking, and the line boasts
the worlds shortest rock tunnel... 37ft! River rafters also have a unique
way to white water raft... onboard the Idaho Whitewater Unlimited, a train
equiped with a special 'raft-flatcar'.

Thunder Mountain Line
P. O. Box 1335
Meridian, ID 83680
Information/Reservations: 1-877-432-7245
(http://www.thundermountainline.com)




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Federal lawsuit seeks route-by-route Amtrak financial information
(Trains magazine online - July 31, 2001)

A rail passenger advocate who has become an Amtrak critic filed a lawsuit
against the railroad today, claiming Amtrak violated the Freedom of
Information Act when it denied his request for a route-by-route financial
breakdown.

Arizona lawyer Anthony Haswell, who founded the National Association of
Railroad Passengers and helped frame the 1970 legislation that created
Amtrak, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Amtrak said it hasn't seen and won't comment on the lawsuit. But in a
statement Amtrak said, "revenues and expenses associated with the company's
services have been widely shared" and are a matter of public record. "Amtrak
has and will continue to respond affirmatively to FOIA requests, so long as
the requested information exists and is subject to disclosure," the railroad
said.

Haswell said that Amtrak denied his April 2000 FOIA request under two
exemptions, including commercial privilege. He said the suit "is an attempt
to provide transparency to Amtrak's accounting system to allow the public to
determine how much money individual Amtrak routes lose each year."

When the public and Congress are armed with that information, they will be
able to make fact-based decisions on where and how public money should be
directed at Amtrak, as well as what role Amtrak should play, Haswell said.
"Amtrak's desperate financial situation suggests that its weaker routes
should be discontinued and available resources concentrated on services with
long-term potential,'' Haswell said. "In order for the government and the
public to make informed decisions on the future of Amtrak and intercity rail
passenger service, the information I have asked for is essential.

"Amtrak is spending many millions of federal tax dollars each year
subsidizing the operation of trains which are slower than those of 60 years
ago and which do not run on time,'' Haswell said. "This expensive charade
must end."

He contends that Amtrak's financial statements are sometimes contradictory.
Only the release of detailed route-by-route information, he contends, can
end the debate over whether long-distance trains are profitable. Some people
are convinced that long-distance trains make money, while the Northeast
Corridor loses money - and vice versa, Haswell points out. "This is a
debate, in my opinion, that shouldn't be going on," he said. "The facts can
be established."

Ross Capon, the executive director of NARP, said he doubted that debate ever
could be settled. The long-distance supporters, Capon explained, argue that
since the Northeast Corridor has received the lion's share of capital
funding, of course it would fare better financially than Amtrak Intercity.

But is there enough financial information available now to settle a debate
on what Amtrak should be, and what routes are essential?
"I lean toward saying there is," said Capon, citing information released
last month by U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) There's certainly a need for a
debate about Amtrak's role in the transportation system - and particularly
about its Mail and Express operations - Capon said. But the information
necessary to make informed decisions is already available through sources
such as the Department of Transportation's inspector general, he said.



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"Goodyear depot project in doubt, Council balks at high cost to renovate old
building"
by Tim Horowitz - staff writer
West Valley View - July 2001

There comes a time in life when it is best to forget about the past -
especially when reviving the past may cost upward of $500,000, a few
Goodyear City Council members hinted during a meeting July 23 while
discussing the old Litchfield Station train depot.

Because the depot is one of the oldest known buildings with historical
significance in the area, Goodyear is considering the purchase of the
structure to incorporate it into the development of the new city center site
at Yuma Road and Estrella Parkway.

In order to receive state-subsidized funding for the project, Goodyear
officials must submit an TEA-21 (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
century) application to the Arizona Department of Transportation after the
application goes through a local-government review.

The Maricopa Association of Governments reviewed the application in June and
gave it a third-place ranking out of 16 projects throughout the region this
year. TEA-21 funds are awarded for the enhancement of projects above and
beyond existing pedestrian infrastructure. These projects usually consist of
trail systems and bike connections to trail systems - non motorized
enhancements. The TEA-21 also covers projects falling under the category of
historical preservation. Goodyear has until Aug. 31 to submit the
application to ADOT in order to
receive funding for the depot project.

Beth Maybaum, project assistant to the city manager, said projects that MAG
ranks in the top five have a very good chance of obtaining ADOT funds.
Before turning in the application at the end of this month, project managers
and city council members may make cost revisions pertaining to the purchase
and relocation of the depot before submittal.

As it stands right now, the city estimates the cost of acquisition and
relocation of the depot at about $150,000. If ADOT approves the application,
$125,000 will be awarded sometime over the next four years through the
enhancement fund. Goodyear would contribute $25,000.

Council discussion
Councilman Ken Porter began the discussion by requesting that a consent
agenda item be pulled, one that would authorize the future city center site
at Yuma Road and Estrella Parkway to be named in the Goodyear's Enhancement
Fund Application for the train depot acquisition and relocation.

Porter said the depot is an unsightly thing at this point because it is in
disrepair and would be an eyesore at the busiest intersection in town if the
council were to place it there at this time.
After visiting the depot at its current location at 16715 W. Lower Buckeye
Road, Councilman Jim Cavanaugh added his own concerns, which reflected the
price tag of the renovation project and the public safety issue. "Anything
can be rehabilitated, but this can only be rehabilitated at a very high
cost," he said. He continued by saying he was not against the idea of trying
to restore the structure, however he believed the city should take the
proper steps before deciding on a location for the historic monument. "I
think that should be step one - what is the cost to make this acceptable for
humans to use and safe to use - before we talk about moving it and using it,
can it be made safe?" he said.

Councilman Frank Cavalier said that replicating rather than rehabilitating
the structure might be a better idea. "I'm not even sure that it's
structurally sound. I hate to sink a lot of money into something that
probably wouldn't fit the architecture of what we
want to do for the future. It's a shame. It's a piece of history that is
gone, but again we have to think economically. There are limitations."
Mayor Bill Arnold, Vice Mayor Seth Kanter, and council members Sue Linney
and Dick Sousa voted for naming the site in the application, but still
voiced concerns whether it was the proper location for the landmark.

The council defeated Porter's motion to pull the item from the consent
agenda by a 4-3 vote, and then voted 4-3 to name the Yuma Road and Estrella
Parkway site in the application.

Depot's recent history
In 1995, Phoenix city planners considered buying the 74-year-old structure
to use as the centerpiece for a new transit station. At that time, the
building was appraised at $16,000, not taking into consideration its
historical value.

Wulf Grote, assistant public transit director for Phoenix, said the city was
looking to purchase the structure for the central Phoenix, downtown bus
station. The city also submitted a TEA-21 application.
Grote said he was not sure why ADOT did not approve the application, but he
believed it might have had something to do with Goodyear.
"One of the reasons we didn't get the enhancement grant at that time was
that Goodyear protested that it had more historical significance within
their community than it had in downtown Phoenix," Grote said.
Since Goodyear wanted it, Phoenix officials did not pursue the acquisition
of the depot, Grote added.

Patty Rudolph, a history buff, is now the current owner of the depot and
said one of the reasons she purchased her home was because the deal included
the depot, which sat on the property.

Don Paulson, the previous owner of the property, paid $400 for the depot,
which he used as a stable for his horses, and spent $5,000 to transport it
onto his property from its original site, she said. At one time, she planned
to renovate the building and make it into a bed and breakfast. "This was my
personal dream, but I feel like it would better serve a whole community,"
she said.

Rudolph still is considering her dream, and said she will renovate the
building herself if negotiations with Goodyear - or any other interested
party - do not pan out. "All you have to do is come out here with a bucket
of paint, a hammer and some stucco," she said.

Cost of a dream
Renovating the Litchfield Station may not be as easy as Rudolph anticipates.
Windows can be replaced at very minimal cost, but it is the rest of the
rehabilitation project that may take considerable time and resources.

The depot once had a brick base running along the bottom and stretching
about two feet up from the ground. The original bricks no longer exist.
The cement stucco covering the outside walls has fallen off in chunks over
the years and would be difficult to repair or blend with new materials.
Furthermore, the structure - primarily made of wood - has been exposed to
the elements for a long time, especially at the base, the area the bricks
once covered, and the multiple spots where the stucco has cracked or fallen
off.

The interior is dilapidated as well. The original floor and 50 percent of
the original ceiling are missing, and the original walls have been covered
with the wood paneling retro look of the '70s. It is difficult to determine
what lies beneath.

There are some items of interest, however. The original Litchfield signs,
the ticket window and desk and the cash register still exist - things that
are sometimes donated and normally seen in a museum or included in a
replication of an old landmark.

Because of the Aug. 31 application deadline, a spot had to be named, but the
location may be changed at any time before state funds are received. If the
City Council later decides the project is not appropriate, it has the option
of declining the state funds.

Considering the initial cost estimate, proponents of the restoration project
will still have to find a way to raise $368,000 - the estimated cost of
restoration. Maybaum said it is a long process to acquire a structure and
move it. "This would get us the first little bit, and then what we would do
is put our efforts toward finding additional grant sources to cover the cost
of the rehabilitation," she said.

City officials would call on city residents for donations, Maybaum said, and
there have been discussions about a community fund-raiser. Additional
grant-funding resources for the remaining $368,000 have not been determined.

(article)
<<West Valley View.htm>>


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I will be out of the office starting  08/01/2001 and will not return until
08/05/2001.

I will respond to your message when I return.  For any urgent matter
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